"I'm Goin' to the YMCA!" (4).

Don't Break a Leg.

[Photo: The sun goes down on 2018]

I enter 2019 with an emphasis on RUNNIN on the treadmill. WALKN is coming in second place.

My philosophy related to running - after a 12-year-long hiatus from long distance racing - is close to the ground:

Run 4 - 5 times per week indoors. (I don't want to slip and fall down, not get up);

Increase stamina, strength, (development of) smooth stride, and speed gradually;

Don't push myself;

Don't break a leg.

Walking to and from the YMCA is the norm.

I've visited the YMCA 45 times in two months and have nicely transitioned from a diet of walk/runs (a combination of walking and running) to short, steady runs in the 2 - 5 mile range... without a foot falling off or a leg break. Smooth move, Ex-Lax, I say.

 December 11. 31st visit to YMCA. A nice 3-miler.

 December 19. 37th trip to YMCA. A smooth 4-miler. Weight (WT) fluctuates.

December 23 and 30 (lower left). 4.5- and 5.0-mile runs. Steady Eddie.

The year 2018 ended on a positive note:

I finished an easy 3.25-mile run without a hitch;

My push-up, sit-up and weight routine reached 4,825 reps before the sun set;

What does this mean? Push-ups, sit-ups, and 7 different weight routines.

(25 reps each, per session).

Some of my stats are on the upswing;

Reading from L-R on the bottom line: I got out the door 25 out of 31 days in December (80.65% of the days; 6-month average is 81%); I covered 182.75 miles, the highest total in 3 years; the last 6-month average is 149.4 miles; I covered an average of 7.31 miles during a workout in December; my 6-month average per workout is 6.03 miles; my 10-week average for "miles covered" is on the rise (up to 39.025 miles per week), now that I'm going to the YMCA. 

Finally, svelteness is within my reach. : )

So, 2019 begins... with a 6-mile walk.

 Will 2019 go swimmingly?

The New Blackfriars Bridge!

More to follow.

Please link to "I'm Goin' to the YMCA!" (3).

Photos GH

"I'm Goin' to the YMCA!" (3).

I'm Not Some Old Jalopy... Yet!

[Photo: I walk north on Ridout St. on my way to Downtown YMCA]

Official dictionary definition: (ja·lop·y   /jəˈläpē/   noun   INFORMAL)

an old car in a dilapidated condition. Synonyms: dilapidated car.

Not only do I still have sturdy tires (I gave all four a good kick) but I have a built-in 'fun and fitness' routine. That is, I like to get out the door 4 - 6 times per week and put myself through the paces.

And the YMCA is working out well: The exercise bikes and treadmills are in good supply, as are the free weights, weight machines, cold water and comfort stations. Why, if they served supper I'd live there.

I have visited the Y 43 times in 8 weeks and averaged about 40 miles per week (walking, bicycling and running) during that time. (In comparison, when walking and jogging on city trails I averaged about 30 miles per week over the last three years).

During the last three weeks, I have covered 46.5, 38.5 and 39.75 miles and have usually followed the same pattern of activity:

Walk 3.0 miles (round-trip) between the YMCA and home

Ride a bike for 1.5 - 2.5 miles

Run 2.5 - 4.5 miles on a treadmill.

And so far, during the 43 visits, not so much as a hubcap has fallen off. I hear a few 'snap, crackle and pops' during my work with weights, but I'm not discouraged!

Why, runs in the 5 to 6 mile range - and svelteness (oh, do tell) - may be a real possibility in the near future.  

Please link to "I'm Goin' to the YMCA!" (2).

Photos GH

Definitely YMCA Related (2).

The Pursuit of Sveltness.

[Photo: Uncle Gord and Electric Dan in Hell, MI. Early 2000s]

Group runs and out-of-town races - through the mud in Michigan - used to be a 'Thing' for a lot of local runners. But, in order to qualify for the Boston Marathon in 2004, I started to train and run solo.

I crossed paths with Electric Dan twice in the last few months. I saw him running with a group while I was walkn on local pathways in early autumn. And we spoke at a recent London Knights hockey game.

"You still running?" I said.

"Yes. You?"

"I'm making a comeback, at the YMCA again."

Photo is called The Big Drop (Terry Fox Pathway)

The Comeback continues:

- I've completed 30 walk/runs at the Downtown YMCA since November 1st

- I've progressed from 2.5-mile walk/runs to 3.5-mile runs in 43 days

- Solo, slow and steady, gradual increases in distance and speed

- Sveltness is a real possibility

Please link to Definitely YMCA Related (1).

Photos GH

Definitely YMCA Related (1).

Gord's Newest Snow Tires.

Merrells. Soles by Vibram. Waterproof. 

And look at those treads!

You could grate cheese with those treads.

Minimum mileage per day - 3 miles*.

With that mileage these boots will last me 20 years. Guaranteed. I got it in writing before I left the store.

"Last thing before I pay. Will these boots be good for 20 years of regular use?"

"Yessir."

"Sign yer name on the box!" (Britainee Bean. And I'm sure it's her real name).

I got these puppies on sale, under $50 per boot, incl. sturdy laces.

(I need sturdy laces. I'm hard on laces for some reason). 

WALKN home from the Downtown YMCA.

In Guaranteed Merrells!

*Round trip to the YMCA

Please link to "I'm Goin' to the YMCA!" (2).

Photos GH

"I'm Goin' to the YMCA!" (2).

Week Six Fits like a Charm

[Photo: I spent last year on London's paths. Now I'm on a treadmill. Y?]

What's wrong with the outdoors?

Nothing, that's if I could run easily in muggy summer weather or on snow- and ice-covered paths in winter. I know from experience that I cannot.

And the switch from walking/easy-running on pathways to walk/running on treadmills and cycling on a stationary bike at the YMCA is not a gigantic or unfamiliar leap for me.

In the early 2000s, while training for long-distance races (e.g., half- and full-marathons and my favourite, the 30K Around the Bay Roadrace in Hamilton), I left the paths behind in favour of treadmill running at the Downtown Y.

I had a few reasons at the time (e.g., I was training for triathlons and I wanted access to a good-sized pool), but, in my opinion, I basically felt I needed to fly solo if I wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon. And believe it or not, my transition to treadmill running was smooth and successful. 

[Last Friday, Dec. 7, I ran 3 miles in about 30 minutes. Speed Merchant!]

In 2003, the job of creating doable workout schedules - that gradually included, over 3 - 4 months, more incline to increase leg strength, distance for improved stamina, and drills for increased speed - proved to be relatively easy, with helpful treadmill controls right at my fingertips.  

This past November I began Y workouts that were within my limits. I started with a walk/run treadmill routine in the 2 - 3 mile range (at an easy-pace), and was able to complete 4 slow and steady runs in the last week of the month. No problemo!

After five full weeks I can say this: I now regularly walk to the Y and back home (3 miles total), ride a bike for 20 - 40 minutes (equivalent to 1 - 2 miles of walking/running) to bring up my heart rate, and then run 2.5 miles or more without a break. My weekly average for mileage has increased by 30% (see above; 44 miles covered last week) with no ill effects.

Yesterday's journal entry. Next week I will try to hit 4.0 miles. Easy kap-easy?
(4550 = pushups, situps, stretches, weights for 2018)

I miss the paths. But my walk home from the Y is very satisfying.

I think I'm on the right track. Sveltness may be in my future : )

More to follow.

Please link to "I'm Goin' to the YMCA!" (1).

Photos GH

"I'm Goin' to the YMCA!" (1).

Good Things are A-Happenin'.

[Photo: I'm walkn home on Craig St., in case you were askin'.]

While heading home from the Downtown Y on Friday, two thoughts sprang to mind. I'd completed five weeks of walking to the YMCA for workouts, without complaint. And, I'd better watch out for icy patches.

"I've fallen and I can't get up." Yeah, that might be me someday, under a backpack filled with soggy gym-wear. (But, so far so good).

After three solid years of brisk walking and slow, steady running on London's sidewalks and path system - and setting personal/world records in the Senior Shuffling Division - I decided to go back indoors. I felt, if I want to up my game there's no better place to walk, run, stretch and shoot snooker* than the Y.

So I signed away my life on November 1st and haven't looked back. In fact, I'm running 3 miles a day and heading for four. And the speed! 

Photo Credit - The Winnipeg Tribune, June 24, 1942

About the speed: Just as you will not see the above prices for Old Niagara Port and Sherry again in your lifetime, I won't see 8-minute miles (e.g., a dozen, all in a row) in mine.

No worries, I say. If I can corner the market on a slow and steady pace for a few road races in the future - and look svelte in the process - I'll be very content.

I'm still quick enough to do the old 'snap-and-run'!

At present, I like riding an exercise bike for 30 minutes while reading a good book, running slowly on a treadmill (with built-in fan!) for about 35 min., and lifting a few weights, followed by a shower with unlimited hot water and free soap.

I also like my walk (3-mile roundtrip) through the downtown. It serves as a warm-up, a cool-down, and a reminder that our mobility is a tremendous benefit. Fresh air, sights and sounds, changing seasons, constant mental and physical stimulation, good sleeps!

Onward and upward, sveltness just around the corner.

Please link to my last entry - Simply and Steadily Walking 3.

Photos GH

*I was kidding about the snooker.

Simply and Steadily Walking 3.

Great Walking Season Ahead?

[Port Bruce: Bike rides are over for 2018]

I motorcycled to the north shore of Lake Erie on Monday, October 22nd, and realized - with teeth almost chattering - that a significant season was ending. I took a few photographs and rode away, sun on my back, hoping to warm up by the time I returned home.

Cool weather will cause me to put the bike into storage (and did so, the next day), but it doesn't dampen my desire to continue to walk during Canada's colder seasons... fall and winter. While wearing a warm jacket, gloves and toque, the miles do seem to fly by.

Readers may know that 'October 2015' was my first full month of dedicated walking for which I have records, other than the occasional photograph on another long-running blog. (See My Morning Walk - Jailhouse 2, from Friday, Dec. 26, 2014, at IT STRIKES ME FUNNY). I averaged about 100 miles per month during that first fall, and about 130 mi./mo. during the first winter. I have not slowed down since that time. Currently I am covering about 30 miles per week, whatever the season.

 Don Kelly and I walked 4 miles, including hills (MM = Mighty Mountains)

From my first month of records, Oct. 1, 2015. 

I've now sorted out what to wear and when. 

On my mind: Recently I encountered two older running mates (Ruud and Tony, see next photo) from my time as a member of a pack. And though I have been enjoying the last several weeks of "simply and steadily walking" (with no big thoughts about running on my mind), when they mentioned they still meet on the same day, at the same time (as we did in the past), and still go out for a pint after their run, I got to thinking.

I know, I just said "with no big thoughts about running on my mind."

But... I was actually getting back to running this past summer (twice) until the humidity hit record levels (twice). So... thoughts about running have not completely disappeared from my thoughts.

Though I am reluctant to consider running outside once snow and ice appear on the ground (I might fall and not get back up), I recall that I used to do a lot of my training - hill work, speed work, long runs - on a treadmill at the Downtown YMCA. I was "the treadmill guy" for three years and I liked it. The treadmill actually helped me run my fastest marathon and thereby qualify for the Boston Marathon - all the time indoors, no snow, no ice.

Three Amigos, back row, left. Ruud, Gord, Tony.

What I'm saying is, I'm thinking about renewing my membership at the Downtown YMCA. If I give the idea the 'thumbs up' then I will likely start in early November.

Would I like running on a treadmill again? And stick to it?

More to follow.

I continue to do my stretches, sit ups, push ups, weights. 25x.

Pat and Gord, April 2005. Will I ever return to running form?

PS. During yesterday's walk I picked up an information folder from the Downtown YMCA. On the way home I picked up an 'automatic transfer form' from my bank.

The GREAT Canadian Comeback continues.

YMCA on November 1? Stay tuned.

Please link to Simply and Steadily Walking 2.

Photos GH